AI Ops and the Self-Optimization of Resources - Cisco Certifications

AI Ops includes the ability to dynamically optimize infrastructure resources through a holistic approach. Cisco Workload Optimization Manager is an important component in our strategy of delivering enhanced customer benefits through AI Ops.

Our Strategy for Delivering the Benefits of AI Ops

Cisco is executing a strategy to consistently enhance the customer benefits we deliver through AI-driven Operations (AI Ops). This blog is the latest in a series that describes our strategy, our open architecture, and how we are implementing each of the benefits. In the first blog in this series we defined four categories of benefits from AI Ops:

1. Improved user experience
2. Proactive support and maintenance
3. Self-optimization of resources
4. Predictive operational analytics

Multi-Dimensional AI Ops Strategy

Vendors use the terms AI, machine learning and AI Ops in a variety of ways. Their focus is primarily on hardware. Our strategy for delivering the customer benefits of AI Ops is a broader architectural vision. This vision includes infrastructure, workloads, and enhanced customer support in on-premises and cloud environments. Cisco’s strategy incorporates an open API framework and integrations with Cisco and partner platforms.

Infrastructure management is one dimension of AI Ops, and Cisco Intersight is an integral component of Cisco’s strategy. Managing workloads is another essential dimension, so Cisco Workload Optimization Manager (CWOM) is also an important component of this strategy.

AI Ops Portfolio Working Together

In a prior blog we explained how Intersight delivers an AI-driven user experience through our open API framework. We posted two blogs in this series to explain how Intersight delivers benefit #2, AI-driven proactive support and proactive maintenance. The proactive support is enabled through the Intersight integration with the Cisco service desk digital intelligence platform. This AI platform (internally referred to as BORG) is  used by the Cisco Technical Assistance Center. It includes AI, analytics, and machine learning. In this blog, I explain how we deliver benefit #3, the self-optimization of resources, through monitoring and automation with Cisco Workload Optimization Manager.

Self-Optimization of Resources

The self-optimization of resources includes both on-premises and public cloud infrastructure. You need to monitor and automate across a variety of virtualized environments, containers and microservices.  As we explained in this blog, the journey to the “self-optimization” requires a holistic approach.

In order to ensure that your applications continuously perform, and your IT resources are fully optimized, you need full visibility across compute infrastructure and applications, across networks and clouds…. and you need all this intelligence at your fingertips, so you can quickly and easily make the right decisions, in real-time to assure application performance, operate efficiently and maintain compliance in your IT environment.

Cisco Workload Optimization Manager is an AI-powered platform that delivers this functionality through integrations with Cisco’s multicloud portfolio, ACI, UCS management, HyperFlex, and a broad ecosystem of partner solutions that will continue to grow over time.  CWOM continuously analyzes workload consumption, costs and compliance constraints and automatically allocates resources in real-time. This video provides an overview of Workload Optimization Manager.

How Does AI Ops Work?

Resource allocation, workload scheduling and load balancing are concepts that have been critical to efficient IT operations for decades. Workload Optimization Manager uses AI and advanced algorithms to manage complex multicloud environments. It views on-premises resources and the cloud stack as a supply chain of buyers and sellers. CWOM looks for the options for running workloads and manages the resources as “just in time” supply to cost-effectively support workload demands, helping customers maintain a continuous state of application health.

Many AI Ops solutions are complex to deploy, and they require require a significant amount of time to accumulate information before they can be effective for analysis. Workload Optimization Manager is easy to install, and the agentless technology will instantly begin to detect all the elements in your environment from applications to individual components. The unique decision engine curates workload demand, so it can generate faster, accurate recommendations after collecting data for a short period of time. CWOM uses three categories of functionality to optimize the use of available resources:

Abstraction: All workloads (applications, VMs, containers) and infrastructure resources (compute, storage, network, fabric, etc.) are abstracted into a common data model, creating a “market” of buyers and sellers of resources.

Analysis: A decision engine applies the principles of supply, demand, and price to the market. There are costs associated with on-premises infrastructure resources, and cloud providers price their resources based on utilization levels. The analytics ensure the right resource decisions are made at the right time.

Automation: Workloads are precisely resourced, automatically, to optimize performance, compliance and cost in real-time. The workloads become self-managing anywhere, spanning on-premises to public cloud environments.

These combined capabilities enable IT to assure application performance, at the lowest cost, while maintaining compliance with policy – from the data center to the public cloud and edge.

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Tomorrow’s Tactile Internet Requires High-Performing By Pervasive and Secure Networks - Cisco Certifications

During our recent team holiday party, while we were indulging in some delicious festive foods, the discussion quickly moved to recent news around autonomous vehicles and industry efforts to make driverless navigation a safe reality. Our party spread included decadent chocolate and red velvet cupcakes, which my taste buds confirmed were of the highest quality. But as I savored the holiday treats, my mind traveled to thoughts about new network quality and performance requirements for self-driving cars. There will be a need for cities to be covered with sensors. There is an imminent need for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) standards to be fully implemented. The number of autonomous vehicles worldwide will increase 40-fold from 390,000 in 2022 to 16.8 million by 2030, according to the Boston Consulting Group. We will need continued improvements on wired, wireless and mobile broadband download and upload speeds and ultra-low latencies for end users as well as many sensors and IoT connections. The foundation of tomorrow’s tactile Internet demands open and supercharged fixed and mobile broadband spigots.

Other verticals that will require tactile Internet capabilities are smart cities, smart homes, telemedicine, and connected education among others. VR/AR will play a critical role in enabling these. This will not only benefit consumers, but also lets enterprises and business network users add bandwidth-hungry applications. Video continues to be a driving force with the growth of IP traffic, with an increasing mix of Ultra-High Definition (UHD) content. HD and UHD streaming will be necessary to glean the precise location of an autonomous vehicle. And as more driverless vehicles are deployed in cities, metro and rural areas, pervasive elastic network demands and densities also need to be supported.

Wireline, wireless and mobile broadband will continue to have a complementary relationship with fiber being deployed closer and closer to the edge, Full Duplex DOCSIS 3.1 in cable, G.fast advancements on copper with DSL on the wireline front. Dense IoT deployments will also be supported by the new Wi-Fi 802.11ax standard, also popularly known as Wi-Fi6. Wi-Fi continues to rule the connectivity world indoors.

The most exciting development with mobile technologies that will assuredly provide ultra-low latencies and guaranteed jitter is 5G. 5G and its refinements will clearly help pull the industry forward. With large-scale commercial deployments starting as soon as 2020, IoT will be the primary initial beneficiary. We can expect more video, more connected device interaction, more (and more seamless) multimedia experiences, more enterprise and consumer applications to support on the network, and more reliance on the Internet. Among other IoT devices, wearables in particular are expanding beyond wrist-worn tech fashion into smart-apparel (providing tactile data) and virtual and augmented reality (i.e. visual data).

Networks are fundamentally changing. Network functions virtualization (NFV), both for customer-facing services and for internal operations, is widely underway. Software-defined networking (SDN), whether a management overlay designed for the telco (i.e., a programmable network) or a management overlay designed for the enterprise (i.e., software-defined wide area network or SD-WAN) is evolving and gaining broader adoption in public and private networks.

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Towards a Multimodal Transportation Data Framework - Cisco Certifications

Digitization is occurring at a rapid pace across all modes of transportation. Whether this be future disruptive services such as Mobility-as-a-Service or improving road safety through Connected and Automated Vehicles; it has become apparent that the secure exchange of data is critical to the future success of transportation.

In June 2018, a number of workshops were held across Australia with over 40 Transportation stakeholders representing agencies, operators, users and vendors. These groups provided insight into the role and relationship of data within the industry and this whitepaper represents the collective thoughts of the team captured during the workshops.

The Multimodal Transportation Data Framework represents a construct that enables four key capabilities required in order to support the data needs of the industry: Data Exchange; Data Brokerage; Data Catalog and Digital Rights and an overarching Governance structure supporting a broad number of producers and consumers within a community geographically dispersed across the country and abroad. It represents the capture and support of different data requirements such as real-time or scheduled data and the need to evolving service requirements.

Rapid advancement within the industry is driving the further need to deploy a framework and trial the system immediately. Multiple use cases already exist such as Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs), Intelligent Congestion Management, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and Condition Based Monitoring.

The recommendations include leveraging similar distributed and large scale Data Exchange infrastructure such as Internet Exchange Points (IXP’s) and the role that government plays in enabling the foundation construct. Moreover, it is imperative that trials begin immediately to support the emerging transport services and leverage the digital transformation that is disrupting the industry today.

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5 Rules to Live By To Boost Your Meeting Effectiveness - Cisco Certifications

Any time you hop online to present, huddle with your team, or even do a quick check-in, new technologies can help you get the most out of everyone’s time. At Cisco, we believe in maximizing that potential, no matter where you are or who you’re talking to. To help you out, we’re highlighting five rules that can help you conduct top-shelf collaboration.

No.1 Actually Start on Time

How often is someone “running late” in your meeting? And how often is it a technology issue…the wrong dongle…an incorrect meeting code…maybe even a bad connection? Whatever the issue, meetings that start late or run long can seriously cost you. According to Atlassian, the price tag for unnecessary meetings cost U.S businesses $37 billion every year, with 31 hours a month spent in unproductive meetings.(1)

When time is literally money, it’s never too late for tech that allows you to start any meeting at the drop of a dime, with no fuss. This is especially true if it allows participants to join in anywhere, from any device, with just a simple click. Bonus points if no plugins or downloads are needed!

No.2 Always Attend in Person

Face-to-face collaboration encourage accountability and attentiveness. We’re all human. Eye-to-eye contact, being able to read changes in body language, all make every meeting, from small huddles to large-scale presentations, more successful. However, distance, scheduling and other issues can prevent everyone from being in the room at the same time. When these kinds of challenges present themselves, leveraging virtual space to ensure everyone can see and be seen is always the best solution.

To that end, technology can definitely help but you need to be discerning. A better video meeting solution will have the same quality and uptime, regardless of your meeting size. That means all the difference when you need to scale a small 4-person huddle to a 650-person all-hands meeting. When a gesture or a simple reaction can shift the tone of a meeting, HD quality is nearly priceless in helping you achieve the outcome you want.

No.3 Stay Very Focused

Like it or not, open floor plans area a reality for a lot of businesses. Sadly, they don’t always encourage collaboration. A recent Harvard study revealed that employees working in these spaces “spend 73% less time in face-to-face interactions,” with “email and messaging use [shooting] up by over 67%.”(2) Some of this may be due to the fact that open floor plans translate to more noise, interruptions, and general busyness in the background at any given moment.

When choosing a meeting solution, always check to see that it has noise suppression. This kind of feature can help ensure that A to B conversations remain clear, quiet, and secure, from beginning to end. Getting that level of seamless communication is especially crucial when you consider that 43% of the U.S. workforce already works outside the office most of the time. (3) To that end, noise suppression also helps remote workers. By preventing typing, barking dogs, and doorbells from disturbing your collaboration, background noise reduction ensures everyday inconveniences don’t become meeting-stoppers.

No.4 Keep Things Upfront and Accessible

Briefs. Works in progress. Drafts. Demos. Doodles. Memos. Every meeting, huddle, and check-in has its supplementary items. The key is being able to share and then edit them quickly without having to hunt, re-send, or otherwise stop everything you’re doing. Stopping and starting a meeting, let alone having to wrangle 101 files after it ends, is anything but efficient.

You should be able to share and create on the fly without constraint. So, when you’re looking for the right platform, it should champion integration, working with most common business tools. That way, it’s always easy to share your screen or presentation, whiteboard with anyone on any device, and record and enjoy a host of other tools to stay on track. Believe us when we say this: achieving perfect synergy when you need it most always makes the difference

No.5 Invest In The Right Meeting Platform

More and more, business is a team sport demanding perfect coordination and frequent collaboration. We’ve talked a lot here about how you can get there. But if you want to do it right, and quickly, the answer is simple. Cisco Webex is the only platform you need to communicate across your organization, with simplicity, consistency, and crystal-clear quality. All it takes is a click to connect and get your best work done, on time, and on budget. You don’t have to take our word for it either—113 million people around the world use Webex to meet effectively, including 95% of Fortune 500 companies

Cisco SONFlex Helps VodafoneZiggo Ready for 5G with RAN Automation

Cisco today announced its plans to execute on a radio access network (RAN) automation strategy using the Cisco SON (self-organizing network) platform for VodafoneZiggo.

VodafoneZiggo is now deploying the new Cisco SONFlex Suite, building on its existing deployment of Cisco SON applications across its network to manage all RAN technologies including 2G, 3G, long-term evolution (LTE, or 4G) and ultimately 5G.

The move marks a new milestone in VodafoneZiggo’s automation strategy, as it shifts from traditional network-focused optimization solutions to an approach of customer-centric SON-based automation solutions. Using SONFlex APIs and infrastructure, it can take advantage of many more external data sources, and take its RAN automation to the next level to maximize network assets, decrease costs per bit and improve the overall customer experience with superior voice quality.

Cisco SONFlex Suite is enabling VodafoneZiggo to develop and deploy its own SON applications, independent from the core Cisco SON platform to improve operational practices and launch new services faster.

“VodafoneZiggo is the lead OpCo within the Vodafone Group for the rollout of Cisco SON,”said Matthias Sauder, director, Mobile Networks, VodafoneZiggo. “With Cisco SONFlex, we are now in a position to manage increasing network complexity with 5G on the horizon, improve operational efficiency, and gain greater autonomy to develop a unique automation strategy.”

“VodafoneZiggo is pioneering RAN automation as the first European service provider to simplify its network with Cisco SONFlex,” said Alon Peleg, general manager, Cisco SON. “Importantly, it is shifting from an ‘off-the-shelf-product’ approach and gaining full creativity and autonomy to develop its own customized apps for faster time to market.”

Cisco is leading the disruption in the industry with its technology innovations in routing, 5G, subscriber experience (mobile, cable, fixed), automation, optical and optics. Together with its portfolio of professional services, Cisco enables service providers, media and web companies to reduce cost and complexity, helps scale and secure their networks, and grow their revenue.

Cisco Brings Wired and Wireless Intent-based Networking to the Masses

the Catalyst family of switches have been known for pushing the limits of what the network could do. Last year, Cisco’s Catalyst 9000 switches pushed those limits even further by introducing the world to intent-based networking, helping big networks learn, adapt and evolve. Now, Cisco is expanding its iconic Catalyst portfolio to all access, including the branch, across wired and wireless. And it is bringing intent-based networking to deployments of all sizes, delivering a smarter, simpler and more secure network to more customers than ever before.

 “We’re excited to bring the full power of Cisco’s intent-based capabilities to everyone, everywhere,” said Sachin Gupta, senior vice president, Product Management, Enterprise Networking at Cisco. “We want to give IT the tools they need to automate and see the network end-to-end. Our expanded Catalyst 9000 portfolio lets customers do this not only for large wired networks, but for wireless and simple branch deployments too.”

Intent-based networking represents a fundamental shift in the way that networks are built and managed. One that does away with the old manual, time-intensive, error-prone way of doing things. Instead, these modern networks capture business intent and translate it into network policies. This allows the network to be automatically configured in minutes, with the assurance that it has happened correctly.

New Catalyst Products

The Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series was built from the ground up for intent-based networking. It runs on a single, open, programmable OS that powers all access and WAN products. This allows Cisco customers to turn on new software innovations faster, simplify IT operations, and lower costs. A single software controller automates the entire network, while programmable ASICs provide unmatched investment protection. And security is embedded into the network, instead of bolted on.

By extending the  Catalyst 9000 Family to wireless deployments and mid-market customers, Cisco is bringing the new era of networking to even more customers. New products include:

• New Wireless Controller: For the first time, customers can run consistent security, automation and analytics services across wired and wireless environments by leveraging the same OS. The Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller can be run anywhere—on premise, in any cloud, or embedded virtually on Catalyst 9000 switches. It supports today’s wireless standards and is ready for the 802.11ax standard. It also elevates wireless services with software updates without disruption, new threat defense and advanced programmability.
• New Mid-Market Switch: The  Catalyst 9200 switches extend intent-based networking to simple branch deployments and mid-market customers. For the first time, the mid-market gets access to the full suite of enterprise services, all at a similar price point as the previous generation of Cisco switches. Simplicity without compromise. And with the security and resiliency customers have come to expect from the Catalyst family.

Cisco Indoor Location Wins Industry Innovation Award

The Wireless Broadband Alliance recently added to the already long and impressive list of accolades awarded to Cisco indoor location analytics. The industry organization named the Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX) deployment at the University of British Columbia as the Best Business Wireless Service Innovation.

Seventy Thousand Users

Like many educational establishments, the University of British Columbia wanted a wireless network that could meet the demands of its faculty and students.  The university turned to Cisco to provide more 5,500 Wi-Fi access points to support 70,000 concurrent clients and 130,00 unique devices on the network, every single day. Via this network, they were able to provide personalized learning experiences for better student engagement, research activities, and improved operations.

More Than Connectivity

While the ability to better serve students and facility was a clear win, the university saw the opportunity to do more. The university also wanted to use their Cisco wireless infrastructure to gather indoor location information, learning about user behaviors with real-time analytics, such as dwell times, high traffic zones, and heat maps.

The Cisco indoor location solution provided real-time location analytics, enabling the university to get visibility into the movements and patterns of building occupants through trending data. The insights and analytics derived from the Wi-Fi network were able to provide significantly more insights compared with the more conventional and imprecise tracking of occupancy by using CO2 sensors.

Stefan Storey, CEO and Co-Founder of Sensible Building Science explained, “Buildings use over 40% of all primary energy and hence pursuing sustainability is a great sector to be in. The lightbulb moment was when I realized that Wi-Fi data could be used to make buildings smart, to make buildings responsive to people.”

Access Points as Sensors

“Essentially what we are doing is using the Wi-Fi access points as a sensor network,” continues Storey. “The solution tells you when people are coming, when people are leaving a space, how busy a space is at any one particular time. What we are doing is taking that data and sending it to the building control systems, which means that the building can respond really quickly to where the people traffic is.”

Previously, Wi-Fi analytical systems did not talk to building control systems. By connecting the two systems, and by leveraging data insights from the Wi-Fi system, the university, Cisco and Sensible Building Science developed a new system that can influence and control the building’s environmental systems –an approach that is improving energy conservation across campus.

Five Percent Energy Savings

Cisco developed a platform that can interact with other specialized applications through open APIs. The Sensible Building Science Bridge application communicates with the Cisco Restful APIs, extracts occupancy data, performs streaming analytics, and sends HVAC control commands to the building automation system, all in real-time. Now the building HVAC systems control airflow, heating, and cooling into each room, optimizing environmental control to occupancy. The results? Five percent energy savings.

Blair Antcliffe, Energy Engineer at University of British Columbia states, “We have usually to spend a great deal of money for 5% savings, and so seeing that success, we wanted to roll this out. UBC has over 1 million square meters of floor space, it’s a small city frankly. As we expand this out to the whole of the campus, we are looking at between $200,000 and $400,00 worth of energy savings on an annual basis.”